Main characteristics of windows with good sound insulation, types, selection rules

Increased noise negatively affects a person’s psychophysical state: insomnia, irritability, stress, etc. appear. If at work and on the way home you have to somehow put up with a high noise load, then in a home environment the situation with the roar of cars, children's screams, loud conversations, music, barking dogs and other sounds penetrating into an apartment or house is unacceptable. It is necessary to take measures to increase the level of sound insulation of housing.

Of the main elements of a residential building, window openings are the weakest link in retaining and dampening sound waves: through them about 90% of street noise enters the premises. What does the sound insulation of plastic windows depend on, how to increase it in already installed blocks, how to choose the right double-glazed windows when ordering them, says the constant expert of the site StroyGuru.com.

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When is window soundproofing necessary?

Rice. 2. Noise levels

Despite the assurances of manufacturers, they cannot guarantee 100% isolation from loud annoying voices from the road or yard. Since the products have certain noise suppression standards - from 24 to 35 dB. For comparison, the rustling of trees is approximately 20 dB, and the roar of an airplane taking off is from 75 to 100 dB. According to GOST, the noise level in the room should not exceed 40 dB during the daytime. With this level of background sound stimuli, a person can feel quite comfortable.

Reference! Changing the noise level is a very complex process, which is influenced by frequencies, intensity and other indicators. It is impossible to take measurements yourself.

A little theory

In order for visitors to understand where the “legs come from” in the matter of soundproofing windows, and not take everything on faith, it is necessary to have an idea of ​​the physics of the process. So a little theory. May acousticians forgive me for the simple language of explanation and not always correct comparisons, but it won’t work any other way.

What is noise and its types

At the everyday level, the concepts of sound and noise are identified. This can be seen using a simple example: no one sees the difference in the concepts of sound insulation and noise insulation, which is not entirely correct. Sound is the rapid vibration of molecules (atoms) of air or another medium (water, solids). Noise is a collection of non-periodic sounds of varying intensity and frequency. Therefore, in the future we will talk about noise, but consider the physics of the propagation of sound waves. And this is not a contradiction. After all, noise consists of many such sound vibrations.

In theory, noise has several classification criteria: origin, propagation medium, etc. So, according to the method of propagation, which is important for further understanding of the issue under consideration, airborne and structural noise are distinguished.

Airborne noise

All sounds that travel from a noise source to a person’s ear through the air are called airborne noise. These are: music from the radio, barking dogs, birds singing, thunder, screams or quiet speech, etc. In the figure below, the artist schematically represents this type of propagation of sound waves.

Structure-borne noise

The second way noise propagates is structural. Here, elements of buildings and structures serve as conductors of sound waves. This means that in a pure field there can be no structural noise in principle. Only inside buildings. But there is a nuance: the human ear cannot hear structural noise directly. Only when the sound wave breaks out of the wall, floor or ceiling and continues to move through the air does a person hear sounds. How the physics of the process works can be seen in the figure below.

Therefore, neighbors on the first floor can clearly hear the noise of drills, hammer drills and other construction tools from the upper floors of the building. Or the slamming of the front door spreads across all floors (that’s why a door closer is needed). The list of sounds can be continued for a long time. But one thing needs to be noted: structural noise occurs when one of the elements of the sound source is the building structure itself.

With a minimum gap between the wall, floor or ceiling, there will be no structural noise. For example, if you crush stone on a soundproofing material with a hammer drill, then the neighbors above, below and on the sides will hear the operation of the tool due to airborne noise, but the roar will not be carried throughout the building, i.e. no structural noise occurs.

Or another example: some neighbors hear the clicking of heels on the laminate flooring, others do not. In the second case, when laying the flooring, the master fulfilled all the requirements of regulatory documents and did not create sound bridges between the floor and the wall, as well as the ceiling of the neighbor below.

There are exceptions when airborne noise can turn into structural noise. This requires a coincidence of two factors: the sound pressure of airborne noise must be extremely strong, and the mass of the enclosing structures, on the contrary, must be small.

From what has been said, we can draw the first conclusion: windows protect only from airborne noise from the street.

Physics of sound wave propagation

In airborne noise, the sound wave moves directly through the air (acousticians say: longitudinal wave) due to the vibration of gas molecules present in the atmosphere (therefore, there is complete silence in a vacuum). Those. Noise propagates from the sound source in all directions. This movement wastes energy. Therefore, as the distance from the source of sound waves increases, the sound strength decreases.

When meeting an obstacle, a sound wave, firstly, must shake the molecules of a denser substance for further movement, which requires significantly more energy than when moving through air, and secondly, the sound is reflected from a denser medium (a classic example, an echo in a forest ). As a result, a greatly attenuated noise breaks through the barrier.

In this case, the following picture is observed: less energy is spent on passing a single piece of dense material (the main part of it is spent on exciting the first layer of denser material) than when overcoming an obstacle of the same thickness, divided into sheets installed one behind the other at a short distance. In addition, we should not forget about reflected sound. It is one thing when it is reflected once and another when it is reflected several times.

The above diagram of the movement of sound allows us to draw a second conclusion: the difference between the energy of the wave that approaches the barrier and that which breaks through the barrier is an indicator of the level of sound insulation of the material that gets in the way of the noise.

When are soundproof windows needed?

The human body is designed in such a way that it quickly gets used to a constant background noise of up to 40 dB and does not notice it. Noises above this figure begin to irritate. And the louder something rumbles, squeaks, squeals, etc. outside the window, the faster the apartment owner leaves his comfort zone.

To understand whether soundproof windows are needed, it is necessary to assess the sound load of the street. Taking measurements yourself is extremely difficult. Therefore, homeowners should focus on the approximate noise level of various sources, shown in the table in the photo below.

Noise level from different sources.

From the given data it is clear that soundproof double-glazed windows are needed for windows facing busy streets, highways, construction sites, airfields (75-100 dB), and railways (65-90 dB).

At the same time, an ordinary city street creates noise in an apartment at the level of a running computer - about 35 dB. Therefore, noise insulation of windows from the road is not required here.

Noise insulation of single-chamber double-glazed windows

Rice. 3. Scheme of a single-chamber double-glazed window

Single-chamber plastic models are two transparent surfaces that are located at a distance of 12 to 16 mm from each other. They have a rubber seal along the outer contour. Due to the minimal cost of materials, such models are among the cheapest. Often, buyers associate a relatively low cost with poor quality.

The standard rate of absorption of noise from the street for a basic design will be about 24-25 dB. At the same time, this indicator is partially facilitated by the furnishings of the room itself: the presence of carpets, upholstered furniture, and draping fabrics. It is recommended to purchase the product for:

• Houses in quiet areas;
• Dacha or summer house;
• Non-residential premises;
• Balconies.

In other cases, you should pay attention to more durable and reliable products.

How to increase sound insulation of openings when installing new windows?

Each profile system made of plastic has an Rw indicator, reflecting the level of its sound insulation. According to the standard, this coefficient should not be less than 30 dB. But the side of the house on which the window faces also affects sound absorption. Is there a busy street, highway, train station outside the room? For the room, it is better to choose window profiles with a maximum Rw coefficient.

Pay attention to the characteristics of double-glazed windows when purchasing them. Asymmetrical windows of the “6-8-4-6-6” type isolate sound better than others. In such chambers, 8 and 6 mm each separate adjacent glasses of 6, 4 and 6 mm. Symmetrical analogues like “4-8-4-8-4” absorb noise with less efficiency. The thickest glass is usually mounted on the outside.

To ensure maximum noise absorption, periodically check glass bags to see if they have cracks. It is necessary to check whether the sashes fit tightly to the window frame. It is necessary to increase the sound insulation of all windows in the home, and not in individual rooms.

Disadvantages of multi-chamber plastic windows

Rice. 4. Example of a multi-chamber double-glazed window

Multi-chamber structures use at least 3 glasses, which have a rubber gasket in the gap. Such products from window factories are now particularly popular. They are a priority for installation in residential buildings. However, they cannot be called ideal:

• The more cameras, the more expensive the purchase will be;
• Sound insulation indicators do not always depend on the number of air pockets, so the degree of silence will be comparable to the characteristics of a single-chamber standard;
• The more air pockets, the more massive and heavier the structure becomes. Not every window sill can bear such weight;
• The frame turns out to be very thick, which means it will take up more space. The window sill space will decrease;
• The throughput of multi-glass profiles is lower, so the apartment will not be darker than outside.

To the listed disadvantages it is worth adding the fact that it is advisable to decide on thick profiles right away, since replacing a single-chamber product is almost impossible.

Technologies for increasing the sound insulation qualities of windows

Soundproofing of windows in an apartment is carried out using the following technologies:

1. Playing on the difference in chamber clearances and glass thickness parameters. Glass used in translucent structures usually does not transmit noise well enough and can reflect it. Silicate is elastic, vibrates under the influence of sound waves, transmitting vibrations indoors. If the glass parameters are equal, then the layers vibrate equally and resonate with each other. When the gaps and glass are different, the resonance is reduced and the degree of sound absorption is reduced.
2. Inert gas. It is used to fill chambers. The speed and features of sound propagation in this case will depend on the density of the media through which transmission occurs. The lower the density, the more noise will be absorbed. Vacuum does not transmit waves in principle, but it cannot be used due to increased external pressure that destroys the glass unit.
3. Using special triplex glass. Compared to conventional ones, it increases the degree of noise insulation by up to 60%. A polymer film, components with resin or other substances are used as a binder. The thickness of the separator layer should not exceed 6-8 microns.

We recommend: Features of the selection of materials and installation of sound insulation for walls in an apartment

Soundproofing methods can be combined, taking into account a number of factors. Thus, a multi-chamber package with triplex in the opening zones may sag, and the fittings may break ahead of schedule. Designers always take such points into account.

The most ergonomic windows are paired or double, when each sash is equipped with a single-chamber glass unit.

Which double-glazed windows have the best sound insulation?

Rice. 5. Improving sound insulation using differences in glass thickness

Some manufacturers classify sound-insulating plastic models into a separate category. These are multi-chamber products with a non-standard design. The multi-chamber standard has a glass surface thickness of 4 mm and a gap of 12 mm. Such results are also typical for single-chamber modules. With equal technical characteristics, single-chamber products will cope better with street hubbub, since the material resonates less with sound.

Soundproofing models are characterized by different glass thicknesses and distances between them:

At least one of the glasses should be thicker than the others - about 6 mm, preferably the first one on the street side;

The chambers must have a gap of different widths. This means that for two-chamber models the internal partition should not be in the middle, but closer to the internal sash. The width will be not 12-12, but 14-10, or better yet 16-8. The same trick can be done with three-chamber ones.

With such characteristics, the products of the window factory will reliably protect the house from sounds from the streets. Please note that this will not affect voices from neighboring rooms, but you may be able to hear your neighbors better.

Specifications

Due to the fact that increased noise insulation qualities impose certain changes in the designs of such windows, their general technical characteristics also differ from conventional standard windows.

The most important element in a soundproof design is the glass unit. It differs from the standard one in the thicker glass, asymmetrical inter-glass distance and arrangement of different glass thicknesses. In some modifications, laminated glass is installed to increase the protective qualities.

Approximate sound insulation Rw for different glass unit formulas:

• 6-12-44.2, 36 dB;
• 10-12-66.2, 41 dB;
• 6-12-44.2, 40 dB;
• 10-12-66.2, 44 dB;
• 2-20-66.2., 50 dB.

Depending on the sound insulation of the double-glazed window, the set of characteristics for the window will also change. For example, technical characteristics for a six-chamber REHAU SYNEGO double-glazed window with sound insulation of 44 dB:

• sound insulation, 5 grades;
• noise absorption - up to 44 dB;
• wind resistance - class A;
• thermal protection - 0.98 m2*C/W;
• tightness, moisture resistance - class A;
• service life, 60 years;
• construction depth, 80 mm
• glass unit thickness, 51 mm
• heat transfer coefficient of the 2nd seal circuit - 1.0 W/m*K;
• for the 3rd seal circuit - 0.94 W/m*K;
• burglary safety, class RC3;
• price, 6706 rub./m2.

Materials for soundproofing plastic windows

Rice. 6. Insulation diagram when installing a window

Sound insulation is achieved due to the tightness of the room. An important role in achieving silence in the room is played by:

• Quality of the double-glazed window (thickness of the glass, size of the opening between them);
• The quality of the rubber seal, which is located around the entire perimeter of the window opening;
• The quality of the sealant with which the rubber is impregnated.

It is worth noting that the plastic base of the profile also affects sound absorption, so when installing it on a balcony, it is not recommended to use completely transparent doors. A design where the lower part is made of plastic will be much quieter. This will additionally keep the apartment warm.

Installation plays an important role in airtightness, since even a small slope can cause noise from the street to penetrate into the house. The same applies to poorly finished window slopes. Before cosmetic treatment, all cavities must be filled with foam.

Where does it blow from - sources of heat loss

All manufacturers of modern PVC windows promise customers perfect tightness of structures and excellent thermal insulation properties. But when it starts to blow from a plastic window, great doubts arise about the veracity of all the assurances and you want only one thing - to eliminate this shortcoming as quickly as possible.

The first thing you need to do is identify the “weak link” - determine which part of the plastic window is leaking from. The main ways in which outdoor air enters the room are:

• Places of upper, side or lower contact of the sash to the window;
• Areas with defects in the seal;
• Butt joints of slopes;
• The lower part of the window sill.

If you don’t have a thermal imager in your house, and you can’t find the problem spot offhand, you can take an ordinary candle (or lighter) and hold it near the window while it’s lit. In the place where it blows from the plastic window, the flame will flicker or go out.

After identifying the source, do not rush to accuse the window manufacturer of deception and bring down the full force of your anger on his head. Perhaps the factory has nothing to do with it, and the cause of the trouble is improper installation or failure to adjust the structure.

Quite often, the convection movement of air masses is mistaken for a draft. It occurs when there is a strong difference in temperature outside and inside, when cold air from the window falls down and spreads throughout the room, creating the illusion of a breeze from the window.

If you feel a draft from a new window, the warranty period for which has not yet expired, call a specialist and seek to eliminate the negative phenomenon. If the defect appears on a window that has been in use for several years, then solving the problem will require financial costs or time to fix it yourself.

Additional sound insulation of a plastic window

Rice. 7. Noise reduction due to additional modifications

Windows have certain limits for absorbing external noise, which are provided by their manufacturer, the quality of materials and other points. However, factory standards are often not enough to ensure a comfortable stay in the room. You can enhance the noise-absorbing properties with the help of additional recommendations. For example, changing the furniture of a room, because soft things add 5 points to protection from street sounds. Approximately the same result can be achieved by using special roller shutters or blinds.

What should I check?

The sound insulation of plastic windows may be compromised if the sash is no longer pressed tightly against the frame. This occurs due to sagging of the structure, most often the hinges are to blame, which need to be tightened periodically. This is usually done before the start of the winter and summer seasons. You can check whether the sash fits tightly in the following way: you will need a regular, flat sheet of paper, insert it into the gap located between the window sash and the frame. The sheet should not go there: if it falls freely, the window needs to be adjusted. The cracks not only significantly worsen sound insulation, but also allow cold air to enter the room. By eliminating them, you can solve the problem without replacing the glass unit.

You can easily adjust the hinges yourself. To do this, you need to know the following: in winter mode the sash is pressed tighter; in summer mode, on the contrary, you need to loosen the hinges a little. This is done so that when heated, the expanded plastic does not bend the structure. The adjustment is as follows: the hinges have a special screw covered with decorative overlays. Its adjustment is carried out using a hexagon. You need to adjust the hinges when the sash is open. Make sure it stands straight. The hinge can rotate left and right, raising and lowering the sash.

Sound insulation can be improved if you use an additional sealing circuit.

Pressure density of a plastic window sash

Rice. 8. Seasonal regulation

Loosely pressed shutters form cracks, which become a loophole for noise from the street. Such gaps may appear due to improper installation of the profile with a slight slope. In this case, it is not necessary to hire specialists for reinstallation. If the owner can independently identify the problem parts, then all that remains is to make the seal in this place more massive. To seal cracks, use sealant, as it securely fixes the seal in place of the crack.

So the problem of cracks can appear due to long-term use. Rubber wears out and becomes thinner over time, so it better allows noise from outside to pass through. Periodically it is necessary to restore the rubber seal. It is wiped clean of dirt and degreased with a special compound, after which a new strip of rubber is glued to it. The doors can be closed only after the glue has completely dried.

Another nuance of pressing the sashes is the seasonal mode. There is a summer and winter mode for pressing the shutters. In summer, it is recommended to slightly loosen the clamp, as this reduces the rate of abrasion of the seal and also promotes natural ventilation due to small gaps. In winter, these micro-slits are blown through, which is why you can feel the cold around the perimeter. When switching to winter mode, the airtightness of the rooms and their protection from extraneous sounds automatically improves.

Note! The possibility of switching to seasonal modes depends on the type of fittings. Not all modern products have this feature.

Why do PVC windows crack?

Extraneous sounds may occur when opening/closing window sashes or when there is a strong wind raging outside. Sometimes it seems that the window is about to fly out of the opening. There may be several reasons for this; let’s look at the most common ones.

Installation

The most common reason why windows crack is that they are not installed correctly.
This may be due to a violation of the technology for installing the structure in the opening or poor-quality measurements taken, or neglect of some significant factors affecting the operation process. For example, the cause of unpleasant sounds may be due to the fact that the measurer did not take into account the fact that the structure is being installed in a new building, where shrinkage will take place over several years. As a result, the walls shift, the level of pressure on the plastic frames changes, and high tension arises.

Another important factor is that the window profile is installed too tightly. As a result, the walls put increased pressure on it, the windows crack, and make other sounds that shouldn’t exist.

Among the violations of the requirements for the installation process, there is another important point: loosely tightened fittings. As a result, unreliably secured hinges and handles during use affect the structure itself, causing it to loosen, which is accompanied by extraneous sounds.

To eliminate these shortcomings, you will need the help of a specialist. If you recently purchased windows, contact the window company that was involved in the production and installation of your window structures; they are obliged to correct any mistakes made.

What to do if you have installed low-quality plastic windows, read on OknaTrade.

Material quality

If an independent external inspection does not reveal any errors made during installation, then the reason may be hidden in the quality of the materials used in the manufacture of the window profile.
Poor quality material can cause a window to crack. So, excessively soft plastic can become deformed in the cold season, which will lead to the appearance of extraneous unpleasant sounds: crackling, humming, whistling. This nuisance is called the “sail effect”. Low-quality plastic can undergo significant expansion (compression) under sudden temperature changes, which is typical for certain Russian regions. In addition, the materials from which the slopes and frame are made have different densities, which aggravates the situation. According to the installation technology, to solve this problem, a special stabilizing corner is installed.

If the sounds emitted by a window are caused by an incorrect choice of material, then the problem can only be solved by dismantling the structure and installing a new high-quality window system.

Sealing the assembly seam

Rice. 9. Sealing the cavity with polyurethane foam

During installation, cracks and gaps appear that can serve as a source of sound penetration. Therefore, all cavities around the frame are sealed with polyurethane foam, after which it is smoothed, plastered and puttied. This results in several layers of protection against any gaps.

Polyurethane foam is a universal joint filler, but greater tightness can be achieved using other materials. For example, if you use small pieces of mineral wool soaked in a cement solution before using polyurethane foam. Such pieces should fit tightly to the frame and fill all voids. The tightness is higher than with polyurethane foam. But the work process itself is long and difficult. When the work is done well, polyurethane foam is used to process the opening from both the inside and outside of the building.

Replacement of glass unit of a plastic window

Rice. 10. What does a double-glazed window look like?

A plastic window consists of a profile and a glass unit. To improve sound insulation performance, you can try replacing the “transparent tab”. This procedure will be less expensive than a complete reinstallation, but it is not always possible. Most often, problems arise when changing a single-chamber module to a multi-chamber one, since it is thicker. However, soundproofing models are better suited for a “quiet” room.

It is necessary to choose the right new “insert”, which will be better in terms of noise absorption, but at the same time light enough for the old profile to withstand its weight. It is best to replace a double-glazed window with the same number of chambers, but different thicknesses of the transparent surface or openings between them. You can use other tricks to reduce the volume of street noise in your apartment.

How else can you improve the sound insulation of a plastic window?

Rice. 11. Example of double glazing

If popular methods of improving sound insulation did not help or were not effective enough, you can use modern methods of dealing with sound irritants. Despite the good performance and significant reduction in noise in the room, these methods are quite expensive. Additional inconveniences may also arise during operation.

Is it worth replacing the glass?

If the steps taken do not help , the sound insulation of double-glazed windows should turn into replacing the double-glazed window with a thicker one. It is not necessary to change the frame itself; quite often you can get by by replacing the double-glazed window itself. This procedure is much easier and cheaper than completely replacing the window structure.

The thicker the glass and the more air chambers, the less chance different kinds of sounds have to pass through obstacles and be heard indoors.

On what characteristics of a double-glazed window its sound insulation depends, read our article “What to consider when choosing metal-plastic windows?” What are the requirements for installing plastic windows, read our material “Installation of plastic windows according to GOST”.

Find the rating of manufacturers of plastic profiles in the article “All brands of plastic windows - choose to your taste!”

Filling a glass unit with gas

Rice. 12. Argon for filling glass units

The chambers are filled with gas:

• Argon;
• Krypton;
• Rarefied air;
• Sulfur hexafluoride.

This method is often used by manufacturers as a bonus for buyers. However, it does not show significant results. The improvement in room insulation when filled with argon, krypton or rarefied air will be only 2 dB. And sulfur fluoride increases this figure by 4 dB. With little protective properties, gas-filled chambers have a relatively low throughput, so the room will be darker.

Frame replacement

Rice. 13. Example of a window with an impost

The window opening profile also has several chambers - from 5 to 7, which provides reliable protection from noise. When purchasing a product, it is advisable to choose durable and wide frames. They will make the transparent space smaller, but will improve the sound insulation of the room.

Rice. 14. Example of a window with an impost

Note! The frame can consist of several segments - imposts. They are also responsible for improving sound insulation as they reduce resonance between surfaces. This means that it is more profitable to install not a solid double-glazed window, but several sashes with additional connections and jumpers. The heavier and more reliable the frame, the quieter the house will be. Plastic can be replaced with wood, since wooden frames do not differ in sound insulation levels.

Soundproofing windows: solutions, installation features, secrets of implementation

Most homeowners, replacing old windows with plastic ones, hope not only for good protection from rain and drafts, but also for high-quality sound insulation of the room. However, the latter is not always satisfactory. A noticeable reduction in street noise through a window is achieved by fulfilling three conditions:

• Purchasing a sound-absorbing window system.
• Proper installation, sealing of the assembly seam and installation of slopes.
• Additional measures: noise-proof roller shutters or balcony glazing.

Double glazing is the main component of a soundproofing window

Window soundproofing begins with the glass, since they account for at least 80% of the total area of ​​the structure. The maximum noise level in a living room should be 45–50 dB, and the neighboring highway produces up to 80 dB at peak load.

Conventional glass blocks reduce noise by 25–27 dB, which clearly falls short even of sanitary standards, not to mention comfortable conditions.

Therefore, to reduce street sounds, noise-absorbing double-glazed windows are used, which can reduce noise by at least 30–34 dB.

Comparative table of sound insulation levels (R) of double-glazed windows of various structures

As you can see, the soundproofing properties of a double-glazed window vary depending on the parameters:

• The quantity, thickness and type of glass used.
• Widths of air chambers and their filling.

Simply changing the number of cameras has almost no effect on the sound insulation of the system. The best result is obtained when equipped with an additional sash, but this entails an increase in the width, weight and cost of the structure.

Double-glazed windows with sound insulation are separated by spacer frames made on the basis of polymer foam, which weakly conducts sound waves. The best option is a combination of various methods and the use of new materials. Nowadays there are window systems that reduce sound insulation by 44–48 dB.

The role of profiles and seals in window sound insulation

The frames of noise-proof plastic windows are made mainly from profiles with 5–7 chambers, which is due to the need to accommodate a thicker glass unit. Special structural types are wood products.

In windows with separate or paired double sashes, asymmetrical glazing is used, which provides good protection from street noise: a double-glazed window is installed in the inner part, and thick glass or triplex is installed in the outer part.

In addition to glass, the quality of sound insulation is affected by the tightness of the rebate and the joints between the glass unit and the profile. The more elastic the seals, the less noise passes through them.

Advice: it is recommended to choose synthetic components - during frosts they behave better than modified rubber.

Requirements for installation of soundproofing windows:

• The absence of frame distortions - a slight deviation leads to a decrease in the density of the vestibule: blowing can only be felt in winter, but sound will pass through all year round.
• The use of polyurethane foam with a high sound insulation value of 60 dB.
• High-quality seam filling - preferably on both sides.
• Compliance with the installation gap is no more than 30 mm.
• Careful sealing of the window opening - the correct slopes will do this best.

Additional noise protection

You can gain a few more decibels (3–5) after installing noise-proof roller blinds or shutters, which can be external or internal. In fact, they resemble roller shutters, the difference lies in the presence of noise-absorbing inserts. Another option is a paired design: an aluminum sash with thick glass (at least 6 mm) is hung on a plastic window using hinges.

An additional soundproofing barrier is the glazing of the balcony. Even sliding aluminum systems provide tangible results, and more sealed tilt-and-turn models will reduce noise no worse than a new window with increased sound insulation.

Soundproof ventilation valves

Solving the problem of sound insulation may lead to troubles associated with air exchange in the room. High tightness excludes the access of fresh air, and water vapor accumulates.

The problem is solved by installing noise-proof ventilation valves - their characteristics must meet the requirements of class A according to the sound insulation standard.

Installation of devices is possible in the wall near the window or on the window itself; in any case, this issue is thought through at the design stage of the sound insulation system.

Ways to increase sound insulation of an old window

A window made of any material loses its properties - sound insulation and tightness - during its operational life. There are several reasons for this:

• Shrunken seals both between the sashes and the frame, and between the sashes and the double-glazed windows, can be eliminated by replacement.
• Distortion of the opening parts relative to the window frame - adjustment operations are carried out.
• Destruction of the insulation between the frame and the walls of the building - the old insulation is removed and new filling of the seams is performed.
• The appearance of cracks in places where glass and wood come into contact due to drying out of the wood - the frames are repaired or replaced.

There is a technical trick that allows you to save money and improve the sound insulation of an old PVC window: it is moved deeper into the room, and a new window section is mounted outside. Of course, this method is feasible if the window is in good condition and the opening is of sufficient depth.

To summarize, we can say that the “quietest” windows are created from individual decibels, and in total these little things give a good reduction in street noise - just a reduction, it is simply impossible to completely remove sounds.

Installation of Finnish windows

Rice. 15. Example of Finnish windows

Finnish windows, or soundproofing windows, are considered one of the best ways to protect a home from external noise. They help reduce overall noise levels by almost 40 dB. The product consists of 3 glasses. Two of them are connected as a single-chamber double-glazed window, and the third goes at a considerable distance (from 16 mm). Finnish windows cannot always be classified as double-chamber, since the gap between the single sash and the chamber is not connected by a seal along the entire perimeter. For connection, special fittings are often used that hold the parts of the frame together.

Glass insulation: soundproofing bags

Windows with increased sound insulation are a good option for residents who have already completed renovations and do not want to completely change their profiles. It will be simpler, more convenient and cheaper to install a new double-glazed window without affecting the profile. The weak area in terms of noise transmission is the glazing, and not the sashes or frames. This modification has a number of limitations in terms of the depth of the landing site in the profile, but the noise level noticeably reduces.

It will not be possible to install a multi-chamber element in a frame in place of a single-chamber one.

Manufacturers

I produce double-glazed windows for industrial enterprises and small private organizations. Some window manufacturers also assemble double-glazed windows, but some work only with large organizations.

The main ones:

• Oknasalut;
• ISOLUX;
• Alutop.

Their products are the best choice in terms of cost and quality. Advanced technologies are used in production to increase the energy efficiency of solutions.

Installation of double glazing

Rice. 16. The essence of triplex

Instead of the term “double glass” you can also hear the name “two strands”. The design consists of 2 plastic windows installed on one window sill parallel to each other. Such products take up a lot of space on the windowsill, so they cannot be installed in every apartment. Most often, this variety can be found in government institutions located in close proximity to the railway track or runway.

Sometimes, for an additional effect and to achieve tightness, a continuous canvas is installed, which does not provide for the possibility of opening it or putting it in ventilation mode. Although the insulating properties are high, in the event of a fire such window openings will become an obstacle, since they complicate evacuation: they are impossible to open and difficult to break. This blocks a potential exit from the building.

Triplex can be an interesting alternative to two threads. Glass of different thicknesses performs well as a protector from street noise. However, there are certain limits for their manufacture, so instead of one thick one, you can put 2 fused, but thinner ones. They are fastened together with a special resin, which ensures a tight and reliable connection. There is no need to double each glass; it is enough to strengthen only the one on the outside.